Sugar crystallizing apparatus



April 4, 1939. H. E. GRILL ET AL SUGAR CRYSTALLIZING APPARATUS FiledJan. 11, 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 N %e." w? 4% IN VENT CR5 9% MMW- A 'T'TOPNFTYSApril 4, 1939. H. E. GRILL ET AL SUGAR CRYSTALLIZING APPARATUS FiledJan. 11, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTORS.

5 $44 J W BY M M m ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 4, 1939 umran STATES PATENTOFFICE SUGAR CRYSTALLIZIN G APPARATUS corporation of Ohio ApplicationJanuary 11, 1938, Serial No. 184,452

1 Claim.

This invention relates to apparatus for effectin: the crystallizationof, sugar from the mother liquid or from massecuite and has for itsgeneral object to improve and simplify the construction of suchapparatus.

A further and more limited object of the invention is to provide anapparatus of this character which, while realizing all of the advantagesdue to the use of eccentrically mounted helical coils, will afford aparticularly sturdy construction.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a crystallizingapparatus of the general type shown and described in our Patent No.2,097,208,

issued October 26, 1937, which is capable of use in factories and otherplaces where the water pressure is materially lower than that requiredfor the circulation of water through the cooling coils of the apparatusof said patent as well as that required for the circulation of suchwater through the coils of other'crystallizing apparatus with which weare familiar. Further objects and advantages of the apparatus shown anddescribed herein will be pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawings herein illustrating our invention, Fig. 1 represents acentral longitudinal sectional view taken through a crystallizing tank,the coil and the shaft carrying the same being shown in elevation; Fig.2 a detail in section cor- 30 responding to the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig.3 an enlarged detail in sectional bottom plan showing the constructionof the shaft on which the coils are mounted and the manner of connectingthe units of the coils therewith; Fig. 4 a detail in as section of thereceiving end of the shaft, the latter having been rotated 180 from itsposition in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 5 a similar view of the delivery endof the shaft.

Describing the parts shown herein by reference 4 characters, I denotesthe main body of the crystallizer tank, which is preferably cylindrical,as shown, and which has its ends closed by heads 2 and 2. The tank isprovided with a manhole opening 4 near one end thereof provided with a45 cover I: The head 3 is provided near the top thereof with a fillingconnection 6 having a valve, indicated conventionally at 6. It is alsoprovided, near the bottom thereof, with an outlet connection I having avalve, which is indicated 50 conventionally at 'I'. The tank isconveniently supported by cradles 8.-

9 denotes a hollow or tubular shaft, which is divided by a partition l0,extending longitudinally thereof, into two compartments or headers 55 Aand B. The cooling water is supplied to the compartment or header Athrough a pipe ll, serving as a trunnion which is journaled in thebearing l2 and which communicates at its delivery end with the interiorof a casing 13 secured to a plug it which closes the receiving end ofthe shaft. This plug is provided with a port it, whereby cooling water,supplied to the pipe I l by the pipe I8, is delivered to the chamber orheader A. The bearing I2 is shown as supported by a bracket arm llhaving its lower end connected to the adjacent wall of the housing It inwhich the worm shaft I 8 is mounted, said shaft having thereon a worm l8meshing with a worm gear 20 which is secured to the end of the shaft 9which projects through thehead 2 of the tank. The worm shaft i9 is shownas driven by a. gear or pulley 2i, which in turn may be driven from anyconvenient source of power. The housing It in turn is supported by apair of brackets l8, each of which is fastened to a bar 2 secured to thehead 2. One.of said brackets and bars is shown in Fig. 1.-

The'opposite end of the shaft 9 is mounted in a journal 22 having aflange 22 by means of which it is secured to the head 3. This end of theshaft is also provided with a plug 23 having an outlet port 24therethrough on the opposite side of the partition Ill from the port l5.Water within the compartment or header B is delivered through said portand into the interior of a casing 25, similar to the casing l3, andthence through a pipe 26, which is journaled in bearings 2'! and 28 andthence to the waste pipe 29. The journal 21 is shown as secured, as bywelding, to the outboard end of the journal 22, while the journal 28 isconveniently supported by a bracket arm 30 having one end connectedthereto and its opposite end connected to the head 3. If desired, theshaft may be shortened and provided at each end with a hollow trunnionof smaller diameter than the diameter of the shaft, which trunnions aremounted within correspondingly smaller journals secured to therespective heads of the cylinder.

Secured to and rotating with the shaft 9 are two series of watercirculating units 3|, 32, the units of one series projecting from theshaft in the opposite direction from the units of the other series. Eachunit 3| has its receiving end connected with the compartment or header Aof the shaft and its delivery end connected to the compartment or headerB, as will appear clearly from Figs. 2 and 3. Each unit is approximatelycircular in projection, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 2, itsreceiving and delivery ends 3P, 3|

being deflected inwardly toward the center of the circular portion ofthe unit for connection with the headers A and B. The centers of thecircular portions of the units l! are diametrically opposed to thecenters of the circular portions of the units II and are connected tothe headers or compartments A and B of the shaft at 32' and 32", in thesame manner as the units 3| are connected therewith.

The center of the peripheral portion of each unit is supported from theshaft by means of a radially extending bracket arm 33. It will be seenthat the units are so arranged with respect to the shaft that theyproduce the effect, when the shaft is rotated, of two eccentricallymounted helical coils wherein the convolutions of one coil arediametrically opposed to the convolutions of the other coil, the coilsbeing of the same pitch.

3 denotes a combined helical scraper and stirrer which is supported fromthe shaft by means of radially extending arms 35. The combined helicalscraper and stirrer herein shown makes two complete convolutions aboutthe shaft, its outer edge being in close proximity to the inner wall oithe tank.

With the parts constructed and arranged as shown and described herein,it is believed that the operation will be readily understood. The tankbody is filled with massecuite through the opening 4 and the shaft isrotated, water being supplied to the compartment or header A. Due to theshape and the eccentric mounting of the cooling units and thecooperation of the stirrer therewith, every point in a cross sectiontaken through the massecuite is contacted by the cooling units as theyrotate. This enables the heat interchange between the liquid circulatingthrough said units and the massecuite in the tank to be accomplishedwith uniformity and with rapidity surpassing that which is obtained byany standard crystallizing apparatus with which we are familiar.

The assembly of shaft, circulating units and combined stirrer andscraper is particularly sturdy. This is due to the fact that the ends ofeach unit are connected directly with the shaft, it being noted thatwhere the shaft and the units are made of the same metal, they may beconnected by welding. If made of different metals, the connections wouldpreferably be made by flanged joints.

It will be noted further that, due to the manner of supporting theunits, only one bracket arm is needed for the support of each unit, thusreducing to a minimum the number of the bracket arms, which, if presentin a large number, would increase the resistance to the longitudinalmovement of the massecuite in the tank, with a less efficient contactingof all portions of the massecuite with the cooling units. A further andmarked advantage which our improved crystallizing apparatus possessesover any other crystallizing apparatus with which we are familiarincluding the apparatus disclosed in our aforesaid patent, is itsability to operate with the efficiency noted hereinbefore while usingcooling water having a very low pressure as compared with that necessaryto eflect satisfactory circulation through the coils of such formerapparatus. It is possible to operate the apparatus disclosed hereinunder a water pressure of not exceeding 5 lbs. per square inch, whereas,with the use of a continuous coil having the same capacity as that ofthe units shown and described herein, a higher pressure is required.This adapts our apparatus for use in factories and other locations orlocalities where water pressures, such as are obtainable in most largecities, are not available.

When it is desired to remove the contents from the tank, this may beaccomplished by removing the closure 1'.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

The combination, with a circular crystalllzer tank, of a hollow shaftmounted within and extending longitudinally through said tank, the saidshaft comprising a receiving header or compartment and a delivery headeror compartment extending longitudinally thereof, a series of tubularunits each having one end connected to the receiving header orcompartment and its opposite end connected to the delivery header orcompartment, each unit approximating in shape a convolution-of a helicalcoil mounted eccentrically with respect to said shaft and having itsouter or peripheral portion in proximity to the inner wall of the tank,a second series of oppositely arranged tubular units similar to thefirst mentioned units and connected in like manner to the headers orcompartments of the shaft. a radially extending brace connecting thecentral peripheral portion of each unit with the shaft, a combinedhelical stirrer and scraper arranged concentrically with respect to theshaft and extending in proximity to the inner surface of said tank,supporting arms carried by said shaft and connected to said combinedscraper and stirrer, means for rotating said shaft, means for supplyingcooling liquid to the receiving header or compartment and for deliveringsuch liquid from the delivery header or compartment of said shaft duringthe rotation thereof.

HENRY H. FELDSI'EIN.

HARRY E. GRILL.

